Amazon is too busy raking in all that Kindle cash to offer any clues about a larger successor to the Kindle Fire, but most industry watchers are convinced that such a device is coming. Following a DigiTimes report in December, Pacific Crest analysts have raised sales expectations for Amazon in expectation of a 9-inch Fire successor this summer.

A new report from the Wall Street Journal is shedding some light on recent rumors that Googlers have been testing a mysterious entertainment device in their homes. According to WSJ, we can expect a system that can wireless stream music throughout the home, and will be marketed under the Google name. This would be a completely consumer-oriented device built in-house, a first for Mountain View.

Google’s Android OS often takes a beating from security companies for it’s occasional malware scares. Google has not been silent on the matter in the past, but the OS maker revealed today that it is taking action to combat Android malware. In fact, it has been taking action for the last few months without telling us. Google’s Bouncer project is an automated security scanner that will apparently filter malware from the Market.

One of the hotbeds in Apple’s ongoing patent war with Samsung has been Germany, but a German court just handed Apple a bit of a smackdown. A Munich court has found that Apple does not have the right to ban Samsung’s Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Nexus from Germany. The case came after Apple revoked a licence previously granted to Samsung relating to touchscreen technology.

Qualcomm mobile systems-on-a-chip (SoC) power many of the smartphones and tablets on the market today, and that’s why the upcoming Snapdragon S4 part is such a bug deal. This chip has a complete core redesign using Qualcomm’s custom ARM-compatible Krait core and speedy Adreno 225 GPU. Some early graphical benchmarks have showed up online, and appear to confirm that this is going to be one fast chip.

Nokia may have just announced a massive quarterly loss due to a precipitous decline in handset sales, but it remains confident of “establishing a beachhead in this war of ecosystems.” The Finnish company is now banking on its Windows Phone lineup to turn things around. But are its plans only limited to the smartphone market, or is it also considering venturing into the increasingly crowded media tablet market?

Back in 2010, the Library of Congress issued a rulemaking statement that exempted jailbreaking, rooting, and otherwise unlocking mobile devices from DMCA anti-circumvention laws. For all intents and purposes, this made these activities completely legal, and stopped Apple from making all those threats against the jailbreak community. In 2012, that exemption is set to expire unless it is renewed, and the EFF wants to make sure that it is.

When the weather gets cold and the skies turn grey, we usually get a hankering for something warm to eat. Hot cocoa, anyone? But our tummies are rumbling for something a bit cooler in these early days of winter: delicious Android-flavored Ice Cream Sandwich. Just last week, Asus’ Transformer Prime received the new OS, and now, an oldie-but-goodie is getting in on the action: the Motorola Xoom.

Way back in September, a tech geek brouhaha flared up when Linux fans pointed out that if Microsoft required Windows 8 to ship with UEFI Secure Boot enabled, that could mean Linux distros might not be able to run on the hardware. Don’t worry, Microsoft said at the time; OEMs had the option to include an option that disabled Secure Boot. Things calmed down after that, but now, the debate has resurfaced: new guidelines require x86-based Windows 8 systems to include the ability to disable Secure Boot, but ARM-based systems specifically CANNOT be able to turn Secure Boot off.

After an uncertain few months, it looks like JooJoo/CrunchPad maker Fusion Garage is going under. According to a leaked document sent to Business Insider, creditors are preparing to force the company into liquidation. The total owed to investors by FusionGarage is said to be in the neighborhood of $40 million.